This invention relates to cleaning systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for cleaning dishware and related items which are generally used in large scale operations such as hospitals, restaurants, cafeterias and the like where large quantities of dishes and the like normally must be handled.
In large scale dishware cleaning systems useful in operations such as those mentioned above, the relatively large amount of waste material which must be disposed of in an efficient manner results in the need for a system including means for collecting and preparing the waste material from further disposition. In most cases the waste material is solid food waste and liquid waste. Moreover, such solid food waste in most cases includes a high liquid content.
Known cleaning systems useful in such operations usually include cooperating conveying, washing, rinsing and drying means. However, in the known systems dishware and the like which is to be cleaned is usually subjected to a manual preliminary operation in which the bulk of any waste material is collected simply by being wiped or brushed from the item being cleaned into a waste container for further disposal when the container is full or pulping and grinding units. Such disposition of the waste material, although generally satisfactory, exhibits various disadvantages.
For example, the waste is not treated in any manner to separate the solid and liquid portions from each other or to separate course and fine solid particles from each other. However, in such large volume operations a more efficient waste collection operation is desirable.
One way of accomplishing this desirable end result is to compact the waste material in a compacting device. However, compacting such materials when they contain relatively large amounts of liquid clearly is of limited efficiency since the liquid materials will occupy a relatively large volume of the compactor capacity. The present invention, on the other hand, obviates such disadvantages.